I am a big David Lynch fan but I do not think that every film he makes is a masterpiece like many others say. That doesn't mean I did not enjoy Inland Empire, I just think that this is one of his more weaker efforts. He talks all the time about catching ideas and writing them down. With this movie, it would seem to me as though he has just had a load of different ideas (spawned from the fact that he shot this entire movie from a cheap DV camera) and thrown them altogether to make a 3 hour long feature film. I feel that something has got lost in translation from Lynch's mind to the screen here but it does make for a bizarre cinematic experience that can make slight sense if you have an open mind and pay close attention along with giving it some serious thought afterwards.

When I finished watching it first time round, my instant reaction was that I didn't enjoy it and would never watch it again. However, it stuck with me and after it had sunk in a bit more, I realised that it was… more »

I am a big David Lynch fan but I do not think that every film he makes is a masterpiece like many others say. That doesn't mean I did not enjoy Inland Empire, I just think that this is one of his more weaker efforts. He talks all the time about catching ideas and writing them down. With this movie, it would seem to me as though he has just had a load of different ideas (spawned from the fact that he shot this entire movie from a cheap DV camera) and thrown them altogether to make a 3 hour long feature film. I feel that something has got lost in translation from Lynch's mind to the screen here but it does make for a bizarre cinematic experience that can make slight sense if you have an open mind and pay close attention along with giving it some serious thought afterwards.

When I finished watching it first time round, my instant reaction was that I didn't enjoy it and would never watch it again. However, it stuck with me and after it had sunk in a bit more, I realised that it was actually quite good for a reason that I cannot put my finger on. I watched it again and decided that I do like it, but not love it. The previous reviewers interpretation is fairly similar to the idea I had about it but it seems more like a science experiment than a film with a story to tell.

Most casual viewers of this film will probably quit out after an hour but if you can just watch it and appreciate it for what it is rather than discect every little bit to try and make out some sort of coherent plot, you should find it quite a nice treat. To do this is near enough pointless because there is no real coherent plot. What can be done is to just go with your thoughts and feelings of what things in the film mean and symbolise and end up with a message that means something to your personally. As Lynch says in one of the interviews on the extras disc, there is no right or wrong meaning. All ideas on it are valid.

An extra note that I would like to praise Mr Lynch on would be the stupendous collection of weird, haunting and surreal images put in throughout (esp a certain face near the end!) They have stuck in my brain and have popped up a couple of times in my dreams since!

To sum up, Inland Empire is a huge mental challenge and one worth going for if you like Lynch's previous works. However, if your favourite film is Along Came Polly or Love Actually, don't bother! The movie (as has already been suggested by others) does seem a bit like a parody of Lynch himself, paying homages to all his previous works along the way. It's good, but not amongst his best for me. Could this excellent director's ideas by drying up in his old age? Perhaps, but for his next movie, I'd like to see something a lot better and different than this.

i find it odd that this reletively straight forward tale is called unfathomable compared to Mullholland Drive whch has been unfairly so reveared. Mullholland drive was a pilot for his Twin Peaks follow up series (note the TV actors throughout), since it wasn't picked up by any TV stations, it was quickly rehashed quite badly into a feature, the performances are good, but the story is exactly the accusation most have with this film. incoherant. trading off wierdness in leu of climax. Mullholland Drive - guilty. Inland Emp- not.
The plot is simple: if you watch it with Dern's character as central- you wont make an ounce of sense in this flick. The story is about a young polish actress attempting to deliver the performance she knows she must in order to achieve the demands of her character, to do this she imagines herself as a succesfull confident but emotionally available A-lister from hollywood. using everything in the actors cannon in order to cross hatch, splice and emerse ones… more »

i find it odd that this reletively straight forward tale is called unfathomable compared to Mullholland Drive whch has been unfairly so reveared. Mullholland drive was a pilot for his Twin Peaks follow up series (note the TV actors throughout), since it wasn't picked up by any TV stations, it was quickly rehashed quite badly into a feature, the performances are good, but the story is exactly the accusation most have with this film. incoherant. trading off wierdness in leu of climax. Mullholland Drive - guilty. Inland Emp- not.
The plot is simple: if you watch it with Dern's character as central- you wont make an ounce of sense in this flick. The story is about a young polish actress attempting to deliver the performance she knows she must in order to achieve the demands of her character, to do this she imagines herself as a succesfull confident but emotionally available A-lister from hollywood. using everything in the actors cannon in order to cross hatch, splice and emerse ones self in the role. Polish girl is only described as mysterious circumstances. Loose ends galore, i agree, but more coherant? -deffo.
The film has massive problems- no argument. from the bad qualiy visual, be it the digi cam look, to the distorted and often out of focus lens. it's 'effects' are often too low fi to work. torches waved arround? it feels like a pretentious student film often, but genius flashes between each vinigette. Don't write Lynch off yet, experimental sure. but totally totally lynch.